Distributor for slender articles of elongated shape



02,192s.' 1,686,255 I G. ROBERGEL" Filed March 21, 1927 Patented Oct. 2, 1928.

UNITED OFFICE.)

GABizIEL ROBERGEL, or vmonnnns, FRANCE.

msmmms FOR ensures Amen-Es or ELo'NeA'rEn snare. i-

Application fil ed March 21, l ezz s'er'ial m. 177,195, and in France March 22, 1926.

. The present invention relates to apparatus intended [for the distribution singly of slender articles of elongated shape, and re latesmor'c particularly to such apparatus in which a store of articles is enclosed in a magazine, the bottom of which slopes towards a passage from which there emerges a l rod adapted to "slide in line with the axis of the magazine and presenting at itstop a seat for the extremity of one of the articles tobe distributed.

The article coming in contactwith the rod is lifted by the latter and its free end prese'ntly encounters the cover or lid of the maga- Zine, the walls of which cover converge gradually into an orifice towards which the article to be distributed is thusprogressively directed, being finally caused top'roj'ect externa lly through this orifice, which is just sufficiently large for the passage of one of the articles. a

hen distributors of this type are utilized for needles, pins and other pointed articles, their operation leaves Inuch to be desired. It often happens in practice that the points of two or more articles lodge simultaneously in the cavity provided at the top of the sliding rod. This is particularly frequent when the articles inside the magazine form a considerable angle between them. It follows that therei's a jainbing of the a paratus, and if force is applied even slightly mseons ieusly upon the rod, with the intention of putting an end to this'fj'ambing, there is a likelihood, of injuring theapparatus or breaking the article's engaged by the sliding rod, It

is not feasible to obviate such jambing the articles by enlarging the orifice the cover sufliciently to allow the passage of the maximum number of articles which the rod e'an possibly engage, for the apparatus would then an in its main object, which is a) dis tribute the articles singly, in particular, for

the purpose of preserving them from handling up to the moment is to be utilized.

According to this invention, these drawbacks are obviated by mounting the sliding rod in such a manner that it can yield elastically as soon as the thrust imposed upon it tends to become excessive.

In these conditions, the apparatus can no when each of them longer'become jambed and when the rod engages two articles simultaneously, there simply occurs a failure to distribute the article, and nothing more.

- passage passing through the piston.

In order to facilitate the grasping of the" article distributed and in order to maintain the apparatus in position of rest, the magazine is subjected to the action of a spring which tends constantly to return the "cover as near-as possible to the end of the distribution rod.

The annexed drawing represents by way of example one of the forms of construction of The magazine a is constituted by a tube,

which carries at its upper end a, screwed cover Z) in the form of. a gland, pierced at its apex with the distributing orifice. The magazine 6; receives at its base a cylindrical boss occupying the Lc'entreof a piston 0','this boss comprising a cavity 0 in the shape of an inverte'd'co'ne followed by anal-row axial The latter works in a socket d of larger diameter than the magazinea but narrowed at its upper end in such a wa as to form a guide for this magazine. A spring 6 located between the magazine and "its socket abuts at one 'end against the constricted portion of this latter and at the other. end againstthe projecting rim portion of the piston c. Thissprihg tends constantly to returnthe magazine into its socket, until the piston c abuts against a false bottom f inside this socket. The false bot-toin f is traversed "at itsc'e'nt'reby the distributing rod 9 constituted in this instance by 'a hair-like tube made of metal, that is *at ube with a very fine orificeforining a seat at its upper end. This rod is provided at its base with ahead which presses upon a piston h adapted to slide in the socket d by compressing a weak spring 2' abutting against a plug Operatz'0n.1n order to extract a needle from the distributor the cover 6 is pulled out while holding back the socket a, in such a way as to draw out the magazine to the end of its 'strokeKFigure 3). The point of the I I er of this spring.

hollow cone 0 upon the piston 0 is then brought towards the top ofthe rod (Figure 4).

' Thereafter, by allowing the magazine to return under the actionot the spri-n g e, this magazine redescends with its contents, eX- cept for one needle the point oi which has become engaged intheboreof and forming a seat on the end of the rod g. Thisneedle is held fast with relation to the magazine,

and its head is encountered by thecover of the latter which gradually brings it towards the exit orifice, Finally, when the magazine has returned to its position of rest, the needle held up by the rodg emerges from the apparatus (Figure 2) and remains in thls posit on when the magazme is released, so that it can be readily grasped.

If it happens that in one of the movements of the magazine, the bore of the rod 9 forming the seat at the end of such rod encounters the points of two needles at once, the spring 11 yieldsas soon as the force exerted upon the rod 9 exceeds the very limited pow- The rod 9 then moves false bottom 7 in unison down through the with the movement of the magazine. The

stroke H of the piston it (Figure 2) is at l least equal to the length by which the needle magazine and the protrudes from the hole in the cover I) in the lowered position of the magazine.

theapparatus forming the subject of the in- .vention can be utilized not only for the dis tribution of needles or pins but may serve in general for the distribution of any slender objects whether of pointed or other shape,

\ What I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a socket one end of which is closed, of a member adapted for sliding in said socket, spring means between saidmember and theclosed end of the socket,

a rod carried by the said member, a seat at the end of said rod,a movable receptaclethe bottom of whichslopesqtoward apassage for the said rod, and a bulged and pierced lid on the said receptacle.

1 2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a socket one end of which is closed, of a member adapted for sliding in said socket, means in the socket adapted for limiting the course of said member, spring means between saidmember and the closed end of the socket, arod carried by the said member, seat at the end of said rod, a movable receptacle the bottom of which slopes toward a passage for the said rod, and

a bulged and pierced lid on the said r'eceptacle.

8. In a device of the character described,

, the combination with a socket one end of which is closed, of a member adapted for sliding in said socket, spring means between said. member and the closed end of the socket, a rod carried by the said member, a seat at the end of said rod, a receptacle slidably engaged in, said socket and the bottom of which receptacle slopes toward a passage for the said rod, and a bulged and pierced lid on the said receptacle.

i. In a device of the character described the combination with a socket one end of which is closed, of a member adapted for sliding in said socket, spring means between said member and the closed end ofthe socket,- a rod carried by the saidmembena seat at the end of said rod, a receptacle slidably engaged in said socket, and the bottom of which slopes toward a passage for the said rod, spring means between said receptacle and the socket, and a bulged and pierced lid on the said receptacle. p

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a socket one end of which is closed, of a member adapted for sliding in said socket, spring means between said member and the closed end of the socket, a hair-like tube carried by the said member,

a movable receptacle the bottom of which slopes toward a passage for the said hair like tube, anda bulged and piercedlid on the said receptacle. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GABRIEL ROBERGEL. 

